LONDON, 23 September 2005 — Suspected failed bomber Hussain Osman will appear before Bow Street Magistrates sitting at the high security Belmarsh Prison in south London today on four charges, namely, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, possession of explosives and conspiracy to use explosives.
This follows Osman’s extradition yesterday to the UK from Italy after his appeal against the extradition on the basis that he would not get a fair trial in England failed in the Court of Cassation in Rome last week. Osman’s extradition was seen as a test case for the new European arrest warrant and could set a precedent for quicker cooperation between police forces in the European Union especially in cases involving terrorist suspects and organized crime.
Osman, 27, also known as Hamdi Issac, arrived in the afternoon on a private charter plane at RAF Northolt military airport in north London where he was met by officers from Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorist branch. He was immediately arrested and detained at the high security police station at Paddington Green on Edgware Road. He is suspected of trying to blow up a Tube train at Shepherd’s Bush, London, on July 21.
He had been held in Rome’s Rebibbia prison since his arrest in Italy a week after the failed bombings in London. He had fled on a Eurostar train via France to Italy, where he met with two of his brothers who live in Rome.
Three other failed suspected 7/21 bombers — Ibrahim Muktar Said, 27, Yassin Hassan Omar, 24, and Ramzi Mohamed, 23 — are currently being held at Belmarsh Prison awaiting trial at the Old Bailey on Nov. 14. They are similarly charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, possessing explosives and conspiracy to use explosives.
A fourth suspect, Manfo Kwaku Asiedu, 32, is also charged with conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions. He allegedly abandoned his unexploded device in Wormwood Scrubs which was found two days after the bomb attempts.
The failed attacks took place two weeks after the 7/7 suicide bombings on the London transport system that killed 56 passengers and injured over 700. The return of Osman coincided with a summit held at the Home Office yesterday between Home Secretary Charles Clarke and members of a taskforce comprising Muslim leaders.
Clarke had set up the taskforce as part of his consultation with Muslim leaders and the wider community in an effort to combat extremism among young British Muslims. The taskforce, convened by Labour peer, Lord Nazir Ahmed, was also asked to come up with a number of recommendations especially related to the governance of mosques, the training and recruitment of imams and the relations between imams and young Muslims.
At a news conference yesterday, Clarke announced the launch of a “Faith Fund” to finance some of the initiatives recommended by the taskforce. Lord Nazir Ahmed said a new national advisory body, the UK Imams and Mosques Council comprising organizations from all the Muslim groups and factions, would be established. The council will have “no government involvement and will be led by Muslims.”
